Key’s
delusional advice for the Homeless as infantile as his $3billion tax
bribe

A
multi-millionaire money trader with a holiday mansion in
Hawaii has about as much in common with the average Kiwi as the Prime
Minister has with manual labour…

…the
latest advice by Key to the homeless that they just go to WINZ and
they’ll be looked after and found a home is so delusional it’s
difficult to tell if Key is just taking the piss or not.

WINZ
are an abomination that needs to be urgently shut down. As Waatea 5th
Estate exposed over the 3 days we followed the AAAP beneficiary
clinics held outside WINZ offices, WINZ front line staff are simply
there to block, evade and deny any access to money by beneficiaries.

60%
of beneficiaries on sole parent and job seeker benefits end up owing
WINZ money through over payment mistakes or WINZ complex ‘partner’
equation that uses voodoo math to work out whether or not you are
defrauding the system.

Thew
paper work top get a benefit runs to over 70 pages, you are expecting
the homeless to be able to deal with that for the possibility of
getting a pittance which may come back to bite them in the arse
later?

Key
is just on another bloody planet if he thinks that

a)
WINZ are they to help

b)
The homeless even trust a Government Department

c)
That WINZ will care one inch

It’s
the sort of brainfart that keeps the PM on the ball with Muddle Nu
Zilind.

When
the Right scream that the Left are envious of the rich and Labour is
just bribing voters – point out the outrageous hypocrisy of
National blowing another $3Billion on tax cuts while the poorest
amongst us go hungry, cold and sick.

If
you aren’t angry, you are part of the problem

****

My friend Stephen have been exchanging serious reflections on the homeless getting help from WINZ to move into a new home

Easy
peazy for the homeless to go into WINZ and get a benefit, says Mr
Shonkey....

You
don't have to live in your car, just go into WINZ and get a benefit
after signing 100 forms then tell your all to the case manager....

From
living in your car to living in luxury in a non existent, cold damp
house in 5 minutes

Just
go down to WINZ and walk out with a benefit.....

Into a house,

"What's
your address? ‘Under the bridge’ is not an address. You've got to
have an address and a bank account "

Finally, anger
management therapy is all the rage now

WARWRICK
SMITH/FAIRFAX NZ Rhys and Lara Hogg with
their son Hunter Hogg.

A
Palmerston North family resorted to starting a Givealittle page
before Work and Income gave them a benefit - and an apology.

Seven weeks
ago, Rhys Hogg was forced to stop working after one of his two
hernias, where the intestines push through a weak spot or tear
in the lower abdominal wall, had become "agonising".

He
has a small hernia in his stomach and a large, palm-sized, hernia in
his groin, the latter requiring surgery.

At
the recommendation of his doctor, he stopped working
and the family's income dropped to that brought in from his
wife Lara Hogg's part-time work as a cleaner and shifts as an
orderly.

He
also has a hobby fly tying business called New Zealand Fishingflies,
but it earned very little, he said.

Rhys
Hogg has a full-time job as an orderly and said his
employers had allowed him to take leave without pay when his annual
leave was used up and would keep his position open for him until
he recovered from surgery.

Lara
Hogg said their finances became stressful after her husband
stopped working. She also looks after the couple's son Hunter,
11, who is low-functioning autistic, has limited vocabulary and
suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Rhys
Hogg said he hated asking for money but the family's
financial situation had reached breaking point.

He contacted Work
and Income in April, to apply for a benefit but found
his family's situation was in a "grey area".

"We
didn't fit into a box on the paperwork."

After
about six weeks of contact with Work and Income, filing
paperwork and visiting the office, Rhys Hogg said he felt the
long process was "frustrating" and "demeaning".

He
started a Givealittle page to help his family, and was contacted
shortly after by Work and Income, who apologised and put him on a
partial benefit.

"But
that's only been because someone pointed them to the
Givealittle page. That's it. For six weeks I've butted
heads with them and was told 'no, you don't fit into a category',"
he said.

While
the couple are grateful they finally have extra financial assistance
each week, they said the length of time taken, strict policies and
lack of understanding of their situation was unacceptable.

"The
fact that there's no maneuvering from Work and Income's
behalf. They know we have Hunter, they know about his issues. There's
no consideration of special circumstances, no offers to do home
visits," Lara Hogg said.

People
should not have to resort to "publicly begging" to get fair
treatment.

"Families
with kids with disabilities, particularly in
the Manawatu where we are so underfunded - we have to
fight every day for every scrap we get for our kids.

"You
battle and battle and battle and you go to the one system that's set
up to help and you've got to fight again," she said.

Rhys
Hogg said their family was fortunate that they had jobs, supportive
employers and support from community members through their
Givealittle page.

"We've
been watching our money since we saw this coming and so we've managed
to put a little bit aside to get through, to buy food or maybe pay
rent.

"But
it can't just be us who have fallen through these gaps."

Ministry
of Social Development Regional Commissioner Katie Brosnahan said they
had been in regular contact with the family.

"We
understand he is in a tough situation, and we were able to help him
out with a food grant and a partial benefit payment back in late
April - when we let him know what we require from him to apply for a
benefit."

She
said as part of any application, information on employment,
earnings, relationship status, and essential costs such as
accommodation, were required.

"Our
assistant service centre manager got in touch with Mr Hogg on May 3
to address issues with our service as soon as we became aware of his
Givealittle fundraising page, and to offer an apology.

"We
have high standards for our staff and will always follow-up on any
concerns people have with the service they've received."

She
said they would support him and wished him well as he recovered from
surgery.

*****

I will be the first to admit that this story is not quite as bad as in Britain where patients dying of cancer were told to apply for a job to avoid having their benefit cut off - two weeks later they were (conveniently) dead.

The
latest film by Ken Loach, “I Daniel Blake” looks as if it will be
worth watching